Data Fragmentation in Care Homes and Nursing Homes

Care homes and nursing homes have made significant strides in digitisation over the past decade, with paper-based records widely replaced by digital systems. While this has improved compliance and streamlined operations, it has created a new problem: data fragmentation.

From medication management to incident reporting and family communications, care homes sometimes rely on multiple standalone systems. Every system holds important information about a resident, but they don’t communicate with each other enough, if at all. This creates a data silo; a hub of valuable information but a record or database that is hindered by its isolation.

The topic of delivering person-centred care while navigating a maze of disconnected systems and siloed data was discussed in our recent webinar, Medication, Compliance & Care Plans – Simplified for Care Homes, hosted by our Social Care Industry Solutions Lead, Lloyd Evans. The webinar offered a compelling vision for the future of care delivery through digitisation.

A fictional resident was used throughout the webinar to illustrate the typical care journey. Their information was scattered across rostering systems, training matrices, finance platforms, care planning apps, nurse call systems, and medication records. Each system operated in isolation, making it difficult for care workers to access the full picture of the resident’s needs and history.

These disconnects aren’t just administrative headaches, but they are also directly impacting the quality of care. For example:

• Medication records often don’t sync with care plans, making it hard to track PRN trends or understand the impact of medication changes on falls or behaviour.
• Smart care tech like fluid intake monitors or acoustic sensors generate important data, but this information rarely makes it into the resident’s central care record.
• Incident reports and quality audits are stored separately, limiting visibility into patterns that could inform better care strategies.
• Family portals may lack real-time updates or outcome tracking, reducing transparency and trust.

As Lloyd Evans put it: “We’ve done a fantastic job digitising, but we’ve created a problem for ourselves. We have all this siloed data and very little of it integrates quickly and efficiently.”

Access Point of Care, The Access Group’s new care management platform designed to unify these disparate systems into a one holistic care record. Built on the foundations of Access Care and Clinical and Access Medication Management, this platform represents a strategic shift in how care is delivered and documented.

Here’s how Access Point of Care addresses the sector’s biggest pain points:

• Full Integration: Medication and care planning are no longer separate. The platform integrates with most UK pharmacies’ PMR systems and is validated by the BNF, ensuring safe and accurate medication management.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Care workers can access and update care plans, medication records, and progress notes directly from their mobile devices at the point of care- no more juggling multiple apps or devices.
• Real-Time Data Flow: Whether it’s a cream application, a fall incident, or a family feedback form, all data flows into the resident’s central record, creating a complete and up-to-date profile.
• AI-Powered Insights: The built-in Copilot AI tool allows users to query data in natural language. Want to see PRN trends across multiple homes? Need a refresher on hoist procedures? The AI can retrieve and translate your policy documents instantly.
• Offline Functionality: Critical tasks like medication administration and care documentation can be completed even when Wi-Fi drops, with automatic syncing once connectivity is restored.

One aspect of Access Point of Care is its development process. Rather than building in isolation, The Access Group collaborated closely with clients and care professionals, but also used artificial intelligence to prototype and iterate based on feedback, and it is already seeing tangible benefits in the form of care staff experiencing significant time savings, allowing them to dedicate more attention to residents. The platform also drives cost savings by streamlining workflows, and most importantly, care outcomes are improving due to enhanced data visibility and more informed decision-making.

Ultimately, Access Point of Care is about putting residents back at the centre of care, ensuring that every decision is informed by a complete, accurate, and accessible care record.

As care homes continue to face increasing demands from regulatory compliance to staffing challenges tools like Access Point of Care offer a path forward. By breaking down data barriers and simplifying workflows, we can help providers deliver safer, smarter, and more compassionate care.

If you are interested in seeing Access Point of Care in action or if you would like to explore how it could fit into your existing systems, book a demo with a care expert from our team and see how our software solutions can support you and your staff.